


A wish for warmth

by SapphireSkeletons



Category: Animaniacs
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, Hurt/Comfort, Wakkos wish au, but not really, but they will be!, these kids are not ok
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:15:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28722717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphireSkeletons/pseuds/SapphireSkeletons
Summary: It's new years eve in the narrow streets of Acme falls, and the Warner siblings are cold, hungry and alone...
Relationships: Dot Warner & Wakko Warner & Yakko Warner
Comments: 11
Kudos: 39





	A wish for warmth

On the early morning of new years eve Yakko Warner awoke with both of his siblings still fast asleep in his lap. His legs were numb, but Yakko couldn't discern if that was because of the cold stone floor of Acme Falls station or because his siblings heads were really heavy. Probably both.

A good thing that came from sleeping like this was that he immediately knew both of his siblings were still alive. He didn't have to worry about one of them having died in their sleep when he could hear both of them breathing (though in Dots case with some effort) and moving around in their sleep (that was mostly Wakko). Yakko let out a sigh and closed his eyes again, hoping to maybe catch a few more hours of sleep when something suddenly snatched him up by his ears! He heard his siblings cry out as their heads hit the hard shiny station floor. 

Yakko yelped as he turned face to face with a very angry guard. the guy had a comically large moustache and wore an ill fitting uniform. if he was a toon steam would surely be coming out of his ears right now, but he was just a very tall human, so it wasn't. 

"And what do you think you're doing here?" The guard hissed. 

Yakko tried to wriggle out of the mans grasp to no avail. "Well, we were taking a nice long nap," he huffed, "before we were so rudely interrupted!". 

The guard grabbed a groggy Wakko and a very irritated Dot by the scruffs of their necks and started walking towards the big entrance doors of the station. The door protested loudly when the guard kicked it open, probably leaving a dent in the beautifully carved wood. He threw the Warners into the gross gray sludge on the sidewalk.

"Don't let me catch you sleeping here again!" He said, shaking his fist at them. He then turned around and closed the door firmly behind him. Yakko rolled his eyes. He heard Dot blow a raspberry and a loud snore. Turning his head he saw Wakko was already asleep again. He stood up and wiped the dirty snow off his coat. The clock above the entrance said it was half past 6. 

"Wake up Wak, we're gonna find some breakfast" he said. Dot nudged Wakko in his side with her foot. He opened a bleary eye and swatted her foot away.

"Mmm… five more minutes!" Wakko mumbled.

"Not on the sidewalk pal" he said. Yakko picked up his brother and set him on his feet. He swayed a bit but didn't fall over. Wakko yawned and rubbed his eyes.

They started walking towards the market, which was deeper into the city. The gigantic train station stood at the outskirts of the city. It was build 10 years ago when acme falls became the big trading centre for all of Warnerstock. Acme falls had grown into a wealthy and densely populated area. Yakko liked the station. It was a beautiful piece of architecture with it's high ceilings and lots of nooks and crannies to hide in if you wanted a good night's rest. That is if you weren't disturbed by any station personnel of course. 

They passed the ruins of their former hiding place. A large water tower that was also build with the station back in the thirties. The Warners stood still for a second and stared at the ruins. 

The three of them had been living on the streets for almost as long as Yakko could remember. There was a time before that when they lived in an orphanage, and even before that a real home, but those memories were sparse and foggy. Yakko remembered being held in a pair of strong arms and feeling as if nothing bad would ever happen to him, or the person holding him for that matter. There was also a kind smile that he still saw today when he looked at Wakko and Dot. He couldn't remember how their parents died, but he did know they had loved them. 

Memories of the orphanage were all dark and gloomy, filled with people who shouldn't be allowed to take care of kids. He had taken his siblings and ran away from that place, setting off into the world. Through their travels they'd seen a lot of Warnerstock, most of it also dark and gloomy ever since king Salazar rose to power. But two years ago they arrived in Acme falls and decided to stay. Mostly because of Dots declining health, she wasn't strong enough to go out and roam the country anymore, especially since winter was coming. After a week of searching the city for a safe place to stay they had stumbled upon the station and it's Water tower. After playing around in the station for a bit they decided to check out the tower. Yakko had found a trapdoor that led inside and discovered it was empty! They moved in the same day, going unnoticed by the guards and conductors. But two days ago they had gone out to get breakfast and when they came back the tower was surrounded by people with large construction machines. They were going to tear it down and build a new one. That's what one of the men told them before shooing them away. That night the tower was gone, and the Warners were homeless again.

Shaking his head, Yakko pulled his siblings along into the city. He hoped they would find some decent food today. Wakko was busy chewing on the collar of his sweater.

-

They spend the day roaming through the streets of Acme falls.The market was bustling with people making last minute purchases for for big new years eve parties. Mouth watering smells floated through the air and Yakko had begun to hold onto Wakko's tail so he wouldn't run off to eat the butchers entire stall. Yakko decided they were only torturing themselves by hanging around all this food while they couldn't afford it and the three of them set off deeper into the city,t he houses in the narrow street towering over them. They passed a dog with a cat on his back excitedly rooting through the contents of a trash can that had fallen over. the cat was holding her nose. Dot waved at the pair as they walked by and the cat nodded back.

The sun was starting to set when Wakko complained about his feet getting tired. Yakko was already carrying Dot on his back.

"Well, let's settle in for the night then" he said. But it was dark when they finally found an alley that wasn't already occupied by another homeless person and didn't smell like weeks old garbage. Granted, it smelled like days old garbage, but Yakko wasn't going to complain. Wakko quickly swept some snow away and Dot practically collapsed on the cold damp ground, struggling to stay awake. Yakko sat down beside her. 

"I miss the tower" Dot said. "Even though it was broken and the roof leaked and the trains would wake me up in the morning". Yakko laughed. He was secretly glad the trains would wake her up. Yeah they were noisy as hell but then he knew Dot had survived another night without having to check for it himself. 

"When the winter's over, we'll find another watertower. Or maybe something a little closer to the ground" that is, if Dot even survived the winter. He shuddered at the thought. They would all be lucky if they survived this winter, it was the worst one Yakko had ever experienced. 

Dot scooted closer to him. "Are you cold?" She asked as she nested into his side. 

"Eeeeeeh not anymore!" He lied as he put his arm around Dot. it's hard to be cold when most of your body has gone numb. 

Wakko plopped down beside them. He was chewing on the collar of his sweater for the umpteenth time that day. 

"Hey, quit eating your sweater" he said as he poked Wakko softy in his side. Wakko grumbled something that might have been words but were inaudible because of the fabric between his teeth. 

"Yakko I'm hungry!" He whined after he spit out the poor mangled collar.

"I know" Yakko sighed. Even the smell of rotting food didn't stop his stomach from growling. They hadn't eaten much in the last two days, and most of what they found went to Dot to keep her somewhat healthy. Throughout the day Wakko kept shoving large handfuls of snow into his mouth when he thought Yakko wasn't looking. Yakko always saw it though and would reprimand him for it, telling Wakko that the snow would only make him colder and wouldn't fill up his empty stomach, but he kept doing it. Wakko liked the repetitive feeling of chewing on anything. 

"Will you tell us a story Yakko?" Dot asked in her sweetest voice. "Pleaseee?" She batted her eyelashes for effect. Wakko nodded enthusiastically, his tongue flapping up and down with the motion. 

Yakko looked from Dot to Wakko and then back to Dot with a thoughtful expression, acting as if it was a tough decision, even though he always told them a story before bedtime. 

"It's New years eve! You have to!" Wakko stated.

"Oh alright then". 

Both his siblings cheer but Dots quickly turned into a coughing fit. Yakko quietly rubbed her back until she was done. 

"So, dear siblings, any requests?".

"Tell us something we haven't heard before!" Wakko said as he leaned his head on Yakko's shoulder. 

"Oh so now I also have to come up with totally original stories on the spot?" Yakko scoffed. 

Dot rolled her eyes and elbowed him softly in the ribs. "Yes, and it better be good, or you'll have to tell another one!" She whispered, her throat still hoarse from the coughing. 

"Such a demanding audience too" Yakko carefully moved his arm so Wakko's head didn't fall off and started rooting around in the pockets of his coat. He pulled out a small dented matchbox. When they lived in the tower Yakko would build a fire if they found enough dry wood. Luckily for the three of them he had put the matches in his coat pocket so they didn't get destroyed with the rest of the tower. He opened the box. There were only 6 matches left. If he was careful and rationed them they could do a long time with them, but as Wakko had said, it's new years eve and they're all freezing. He could afford to use a few of the matches, right? 

Yakko cleared his throat and lit the first match. The small light illuminated his siblings face, casting dark shadows under their hollow eyes and cheeks.

"Once upon a time, in a land far away from here, there lived three children. They were orphans, but that didn't bother them as long as they had each other. And one winter night, when the full moon shone bright in the sky they saw a falling star! The star told them to each make a wish and-"

"Stars can't talk Yakko!" Dot interrupted, just as the match burned out. Yakko dropped the charred piece of wood in the snow before it could burn his gloves. 

"Well excuse me Miss Science Expert for wanting to tell an interesting story" He glared at Dot, who just stuck out her tongue. "The star told them to each make a wish, so they did" Yakko continued. 

"I know what I'd wish for..." Wakko stared up into the stars, their reflections making tiny little dots in his pupils. 

Yakko lit the next match and held it out to Wakko. He shook one of his hands out of an oversized sleeve and took the match.  
"Do tell us what you'd wish for, Dearest brother" he said.

"I would wish for a feast, with a long table full of food.." he stared into the small flame. "It's all for us and it never runs out or rots or gets cold" he says, "and we won't ever be hungry again" Then the flame flickered out. The light disappeared, and so did the warmth. Wakko sighed, threw the match away and hung his head on Yakko's shoulder. 

"That's a good wish Wakko" he said as he put his arm around Wakko's shoulders. He was shaking a little. Yakko hoped it was from the cold, and not something worse.

After a few quiet seconds Dot grabbed the third match. She reached over to the wall and lit it. She coughed and held it closer to her face. 

"I would wish for a nice house" she stated. "With soft beds and a great big fireplace where we can roast marshmallows and be warm forever". 

She wanted to say more, but then a heap of snow fell off the roof and onto the 3 of them. The match, now wet and cold lay buried under the snow. Yakko shot up from the pile of snow and pulled out his siblings. He tried to shake the snow out of his fur before it could melt, but it had already seeped down his neck and into his coat. He shuddered and quickly took it off, sweeping the snow off the shoulders. Luckily Wakko had grabbed the matches and saved them from being buried under the snow too. Dots teeth clattered even more than before. 

Yakko put his coat on again and sat down, pulling Dot into his lap. She didn't protest and huddled closer to him. She yawned and closed her eyes. 

Yakko grabbed a match from the box and lit it. "The star asked the last sibling for his wish…" what would he wish for? He just wanted the three of them to be safe. And perhaps… 

"I would wish for someone who could take care of us. They live in a big house with soft beds and a warm fireplace. They cook delicious meals and-" a cold gust of wind blew out the flame and made them all shudder. Yakko pulled Wakko closer to him and held his siblings tight, trying to save what little warmth they had. He grabbed the last 3 matches and lit them all at once. The fire burned brighter and bigger than before and Yakko held it close. 

"They take us in and keep us warm and fed and safe. They'd take care of us". 

Dot opened her eyes a little. "We don't need anyone else to take care of us Yakko, we have you" she mumbled as she fell asleep.

"Yeah, as long as we have each other we're fine… we don't need anything…" Wakko yawned and dozed off before he could finish his sentence.

Yakko held his siblings tight as he tried to shield them from the cold, biting wind and the small snowflakes that started falling from the sky. Dots slow and ragged breaths were clearly being taken with a lot of effort. And Wakko had started shaking harder in his sleep. Yakko noticed his fur was matted with sweat. He hoped Wakko wasn't catching a fever, or something worse. One sick sibling was enough, he didn't think he could handle two. 

Yakko tried to suppressed a sob. It didn't work, big quiet tears slid down his cheeks, leaving behind a cold trail. He looked up to the sky and the thousands of stars, hoping that he might actually see a shooting star. But he didn't. Dark clouds full of snow drove away the light of the moon. Yakko sighed, and looked at his siblings. if this was their last night together he wanted to hold them for as long as he could. 

And as the flames of the last matches died, so did the three Warners siblings.

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this in my drafts since the actual new years eve. It started out as a little match girl inspired story, but it's kinda morphing into a wakkos wish/anastasia story now lol. Also dont worry about the kids! They're probably fine! 
> 
> Oh also if you want to come yell at me my tumblr is sapphiresartblog !!!


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